Babul NGO hosted the annual International 8th Babul Eco Film Festival (BEFF) in Hyderabad, Telangana, 1-5 June 2024, coinciding with World Environment Day. The festival raises awareness about environmental issues through green film screenings, Environment Games & Activities.The Babul Eco Film Festival (BEFF) 2024, held at multiple venues in Hyderabad at Sri Sarathi Studios, Ramanaidu Film School, Lamakaan, ANAR Eco Screen room and later the festival travelled to Mahbubnagar, Telangana and Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.
The pre-selection Jury shortlisted 18 short films (under 5 minutes) and 43 long duration eco-films from 29 countries out of more than 100 submissions. The Jury chaired by Prof. Purushottam Reddy, an eminent environmentalist, academician and development activist and composed of Dr. S Ravinder, Rotarian; S. Malla Reddy,Sr Advocate; Dr. Ramkishan Dharmakari Medical,Govt General Hospital; Dr. D. Madhusudan Reddy, OSD to Vice Chancellor. Palamuru University; Capt. Dr. M. Vijay Kumar, Govt Degree College Principal; Ms. Dr. Shilpa Krishna; Vinay Vangala, Environmentalist; Kaka Alekhya, Software Engineer; Reyansh Dev Sharma, Climate Child Activist.
Delegates were treated to a diverse selection of eco-cinema, exploring various environmental challenges and solutions and also engaging Fun and Learn activities.
There is more to 8th BEFF than just screening of eco-films. Many fun and interactive eco-activities like EcoShooter, EcoCartoon, EcoDoctor, EcoFit, EcoTambola, Who am I and FunDuChallange etc., were part of the Festival. These activities engaged attendees of all ages and helped solidify the connection between Environmental awareness and a healthy lifestyle.
Some of the Filmmakers connected virtually to present their films and took questions from the audience. Keiko Yagi, Japan [ (~Inconvenient Food~) Whale Restaurant ]; Johan Erik Granberg, Qatar (The Bamboo Dialogues); Ettore zito, Italy (Souls In the Mud); Akshay Jain, India (ARAVALI – A Quest For Survival); Julian Gomez, Spain + Rafael Vidal Altebert ( Abubilla ); Pau Verdalet, mexico (My brand new car) were some of the Directors/ Producers who joined online . Puja Goyal, Director of Kannada feature film “ Namma Aranya Pradesha” attended the event physically on 4th and 5th June 2024. She presented her film and interacted with the audience, constituting mostly students.
The festival commenced with a traditional tree-planting ceremony (Vruksharopan) performed by Smt. Sangeetha, Principal of G Pulla Reddy School. Sri K V Rao, Director of Sri Sarathi Studios, officially released the festival book, providing attendees with in-depth information about the films and the event’s theme. Rotarian Dr. Ravinder launched the Delegate Kit, containing valuable resources and information about the selected films and eco-activities.
8 BEFF award winners are Bin Boy by Bauddhayan Mukherji, 1 2 3 Red Light, Green light by Liangyu Chen ,My Brand New Car by Pau Verdalet , Abubilla by Rafael vidal Altabert, Julian Gomez. Katikam Memorial Award, D K Mishra Banyan Award were given away along with cash prizes.
The 8th BEFF aligned and promoted LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) and the UNEP theme of World Environment Day 2024, “Our Land. Our Future. We are #GenerationRestoration.” The festival program, through film screenings and interactive activities, encouraged attendees to adopt sustainable practices and become responsible environmental caretakers. About 1850 delegates participated in the events.
The hashtags for 8th BEFF are #beff2024 and #babulecofilmfestival which helped in creating a buzz in the Social Media. The Film Festival got covered in Telugu & English Print and Electronic media.
Fillip:
Babul Films Society NGO received the prestigious Green Champion Award from the Telangana State Pollution Control Board, a well-deserved recognition for their dedication to environmental advocacy for more than a decade.
We thank the Filmmakers, Audience, the venue partners, Volunteers, Festival team, and nature lovers for making this event a big success.
We look forward to a bigger, improved 9th Babul Eco Film Festival June 2025.
